Nick Jeffery and John Granger do a Compare and Contrast test of the latest Cormoran Strike novel, The Hallmarked Man, and the previous seven books in Rowling-Galbraith’s longest series of novels. Adapting a list of ‘Greatest Hits’ moments from the first ‘Reading, Writing, Rowling’ podcast John did with Katie McDaniel and a panel of Potter Pundits in Roanoke, Virginia, Nick and John share their favorite moments first from the series and then from Strike 8 before contrasting the quality of these highlights.

The point of the exercise? Besides being a fun review of Strike-Ellacott adventures, a Greatest Hits collection of their highs and lows, Agency cases and sub-contractors included, the absence of any Hallmarked Man moments that merit a ‘Best in Series’ badge suggests that Strike 8 will be remembered best for how it set up Strikes 9 and 10.

Whatever your thoughts about that thesis, please share the scenes on your Greatest Hits list, both for the series and Hallmarked Man, per the numbered categories below. Nick and John have a few more to run through that they couldn’t get to on their first ‘go’ at this; feel free to share categories they should discuss in addition to the ones listed here:

* Top Strike-Ellacott Moments

* Ellacott taking care of wrecked Strike

* Strike taking care of wrecked Ellacott

* The Two having a frank conversation about the Agency, their vocation

* The Two having a frank conversation about life and their relationship

* Top Mystery Reveal

* Top Agency Subcontractor moment

* Top Agency case not the focus of the novel

* Top Strike Confront-the-Killer moment,

* Top “Magical” Moment (heart-rending/opening)

* Top Moment-that-We-didn’t-know-was-a-Moment-until-later

* Top Saving People Moment

John is working on his charting of Hallmarked Man for the paid subscriber list as well as reviewing and revising his 2017 online course, ‘Wizard Reading Formula.’ More on those projects and the Kanreki Series in his next conversation with Nick; stay tuned!

Links to Ideas, Posts, and Theories Mentioned

* Roanoke ‘Reading, Writing, Rowling’ Harry Potter Review

[‘reading, Writing, Rowling’s] first episode was recorded at CoLab in Roanoke, Virginia, at the May 2017 Roanoke Harry Potter Fest and celebrates 20 years of Harry Potter. Listen to a stellar crew of Hogwarts professors discuss [with hosts John Granger and Katy McDaniel] their favorite moments in the Harry Potter series, inspired by Bloomsbury Publishing’s recent reader poll. Guests Louise Freeman, Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Emily Strand, and Lana Whited identify the best moments featuring the trio friendship, surprises and narrative misdirection, wizard magic, Snape, texts-within-the-text, and those inspirational messages that make the Harry Potter series profound and emotionally resonant to readers worldwide.

* Rowling’s Favorite Painting and What It Suggests about Her Artistry and Meaning: Caravaggio’s ‘Supper at Emmaus’

Professor Groves suggests strongly that what Rowling took away from her “mesmerised” “slow mining” of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus was the central Mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, the “guiler beguiled” idea of Aulen’s Christus Victor. I find that argument compelling and want to build on it. There are embedded symbols in Supper at Emmaus that I think the fascinated Rowling would have noticed as she looked at the painting in the National Gallery, at the print on her wall in Exeter and London, and at the image on her first website, symbols beyond the “realism” of the Christ as imagined by Caravaggio and the revelation at the breaking of bread of His divinity.

* Robin is Sterile Prediction: Chlamydia to Ectopic Pregnancy (December 2023)

The thesis of this Hogwarts Professor essay — what I hope will be the subject of our second ‘Rowling Studies’ podcast here — is that Robin Venetia Ellacott will not have children with Murphy, Strike, or any other partner, because she cannot, at least not without some extraordinary efforts via in vitro conception and surrogacy. I will attempt to explain how this infertility is possible, to detail the ‘Lake’ suggestions from Rowling’s life and personal experience that shows she is more than familiar with this condition among women, and to share the ‘Shed’ literary markers in Running Grave and Rowling’s other novels that this is indeed what she has in mind for Strike’s partner Robin.

Means Before Motive: How is it Possible that Robin is Sterile?

In a word, “Chlamydia.”

* The Hallmarked Man’s Mythological Template

‘Cupid and Psyche’s importance for grasping the depths of Strike 8, from the “necessity” of the Silver Vault and the three men in Robin’s life, to spaghetti carbonara and ‘Maid of the Silver Sea’ (links list to previous posts, 2021-present on this subject)

* Charlotte Was Murdered, Mate; It Wasn’t a Suicide

* The Strange Death of Charlotte Campbell: Could the Psycho-Ex be the Focus of a Murder Investigation in Strike 8? (Nick Jeffery, November 2023)

* Strike8: The Charlotte Campbell Murder Mystery: Nick Jeffery’s Idea Checks a Lot of Boxes (John Granger, November 2023)

* The Mysterious Death of Charlotte Campbell: Was It Suicide or Was It Murder? The ‘Rowling Studies’ Pilot Episode (December 2023)

* J. S. Maleksen’s Re-read of Running Grave in Search of Ryan Murphy

After reading HM twice, I re-read ‘Running Grave’ with this theory in mind.

It occurred to me that RFM might have read Charlotte’s suicide note because it was in the police file. He might have even read through statements made by Charlotte’s family members about Charlotte’s relationship with Strike. At the very least, he would have read that Strike was in love with Robin and may have even bought into the ‘Strike was abusive to Charlotte’ narrative and the ‘Strike has been in a romantic relationship with Robin since he broke up with Charlotte’ narrative.

This would explain why RFM is significantly more chippy towards Strike after Robin returns from Chapman Farm than he was at the beginning of ‘Running Grave.’ Come to think of it, if Nick’s theory is right and the suicide was a murder, it’s quite possible that RFM may have been the lead investigator because, as we now know, he kinda sucks at his job.

RFM would have had no reason to disclose any of this information to Robin because “she gets ratty every time he says anything against Strike.” Details identifying the investigating officer may not have been published. Alternatively, Iverson could have been the investigating officer and she could have shared this information with RFM and RFM can’t tell Robin how he got the information because he had a fling with Iverson while Robin was at Chapman Farm.

This might lead to an explanation as to why/how RFM fell off the wagon (guilt about having cheated on Robin and/or fear that Robin hasn’t been honest about her relationship with Strike and/or his perception that Robin is being cowed by an abusive Strike)

It makes sense to me that the period of time when Robin was at Chapman Farm is the most plausible and likely spot for JKR to have buried details about RFM, and his true character and motivations. The story as told from Robin and Strike’s respective points of view intentionally distracted us from what RFM was up to during Robin’s time at Chapman Farm. Indeed, he was often an afterthought of Robin’s if she even thought about him at all.

Incidentally, this makes the ‘RFM as gorilla man theory’ more plausible because walking around with all of this information in his head could have motivated RFM to take extreme measures to get Robin to abandon Strike and the agency.

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